JUDAS PRIEST – I ponder rather consistently, as to which albums are my favorite from the Judas Priest catalog. I’ve decided to choose my top six Judas Priest albums once and for all. Or is it really once and for all? Everyone has their own likes and dislikes; therefore my list is just that, a personal choice. Four out of the six albums I’ve chosen are from the classic era of Judas Priest; an era that catapulted this iconic band into super Metal stardom.

Let me know which Judas Priest albums you would choose as favorites, via comments; it will be interesting discussion! Judas Priest really are the Defenders Of The Faith. There are great Metal bands and then there are F*#king great Metal bands. Judas Priest for me are F*#king great. Metal be thy name. – Stone

#6

PAINKILLER

Released in 1990, Painkiller was a comeback album for Judas Priest after the Turbo and Ram It Down mainstream darlings. This was also the last studio album before Rob Halford stepped out and Tim “Ripper” Owens stepped in for 1997’s Jugulator and 2001’s Demolition. A kick-ass album is Painkiller, front beginning to end it rages. ‘Nuff said.

#5

REDEEMER OF SOULS

I honestly never anticipated such a milestone album from Judas Priest! With the absence of guitarist and founding member K. K. Downing, I wondered how anyone else could step in? Well, Richie Faulkner has stepped in, quite superbly! Rob Halford sounds like he’s 25 years old on this album! This is a grand follow-up to 2005’s Angel Of Retribution; with my making no insult to 2008’s concept (detour) album Nostradamus.

I could easily have made this new Priest offering my #2 pick; only I would be ignoring all the influential reasons why I fell in love with this band in the first place. This new album from Judas Priest has me psyched-out beyond Metal belief; a consummate Metal album of 2014! I’m tempted to put this Redeemer Of Souls CD under my pillow at night. Just kidding. No, I’m not.

#4

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH

1984 was a very, very good year due to Defenders Of The Faith being released. With classics such as Freewheel Burning, Love Bites, Some Heads Are Gonna Roll and the anthemic Heavy Duty, studio album #9 from Judas Priest will forever give me super Metal powers. Well, I think so, anyways.

#3

SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE

There’s no denying that Screaming For Vengeance was my first album (vinyl) purchase of this amazing band. The first time I heard a Judas Priest song was You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’and I was transformed! The Hellion sent me over the Metal edge! I never heard anything that badass in my entire life! The rest is my being a Metalhead history. Thank you, thank you, Judas Priest. Thank you, again.

#2

BRITISH STEEL

“Grinder, Looking for meat, Grinder, Wants you to eat”

Yes, even your neighbors grandmother knows the songs Living After Midnight and Breaking The Law, however, it’s songs such as Grinder and Metal Gods that makes British Steel a beacon for Metal.

#1

STAINED CLASS

A 1978 release, Stained Class was ahead of its time. Really. Please name another Metal band that captured a Metal sound like this, back in 1978! You can’t! Black Sabbath’s Doom and Stoner Metal was the complete opposite! KISS, Deep Purple, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Scorpions, Rainbow, Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin were all too unique with entirely different sounds; so different in fact, that Judas Priest made everyone else in 1978 sound like Hard Rock bands. This was… METAL! A New Wave Of British Heavy Metal!

This Judas Priest album was a look into the future of Metal, as we all know and cherish it today. Without this era of Judas Priest, there would be NO Metallica or any of their 1980’s peers; I firmly believe that. A strong, lean and yet (never before heard) powerful album, lyrically oozing with a rabid bite that only Rob Halford could deliver vocally! Stained Class is my favorite Judas Priest album of all-time. Metal be thy name. – Stone

JUDAS PRIEST – Call 1-800-334-ROCK to speak with Rob, Glenn and Richie on ROCKLINE Radio this Mon July 7th and Rob and Richie on Wed, July 9th! Both shows air at 8:30pdt/11:30edt. To find the show in your area go to: www.rocklineradio.com.

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US Tour update! A special fan presale for tickets and exclusive packages will begin on Tuesday, July 8th at 10am local time. Visit http://tickets.judaspriest.com/ for further information now!

Crank Up Below, Redeemer Of Souls And March Of The Damned… Metal Be Thy Name!

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Stone Says: I’m 100% digging BOTH new Judas Priest songs! Just knowing that the iconic Judas Priest are still around and creating new Metal material, really makes me feel like everything is freaking okay in the Metal world. Plus, I really appreciate the kick-ass album artwork for Redeemer Of Souls too! Metal be thy name.

We are revved up and ready to UNLEASH the PRIEST one more time for our metal fans around the world – so here’s a track for you to listen to entitled ‘Redeemer of Souls’ from our new album of the same title – Judas Priest

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Redeemer Of Souls releases on July 14th, in the UK and on July 15th in the USA! Whoa! For other release dates, by country, click on the link below:

Stone Says: I’m digging this new Judas Priest song! Just knowing that the iconic Judas Priest are still around and creating new Metal material, really makes me feel like everything is freaking okay in the Metal world. Plus, I really appreciate the kick-ass album artwork for Redeemer Of Souls too! Metal be thy name.

CLOSING NIGHT OF “EPITAPH WORLD TOUR” – THE BAND’s FINAL WORLD TOUR – RECORDED AT LONDON’S HMV HAMMERSMITH APOLLO IN MAY 2012

BLAZING LIVE VERSIONS OF AT LEAST ONE SONG FROM EACH OF JUDAS PRIEST’S 14 CLASSIC ALBUMS FROM 1974 TO 2008

Blu-ray or separate DVD available everywhere May 28, 2013, through Legacy Recordings

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Judas Priest, the heavy metal legends whose influence on generations of musicians and metalheads is incalculable, celebrate their 40th year as recording artists this year with the release of the live concert EPITAPH. A unique live career retrospective, EPITAPH will be released on Blu-ray and separate DVD on May 28th through Legacy Recordings, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. This release precedes a new studio album by Judas Priest which the band are working on now.

Heavy metal historians will regard EPITAPH as the most far-reaching live concert recording in the band’s career. The set revisits the climactic closing date of the 50-week “Epitaph World Tour,” captured live at London’s HMV Hammersmith Apollo on May 26, 2012. Adding to the drama is the fact that this was Judas Priest’s final large-scale world tour ever. EPITAPH’s 23 tracks represent at least one song from every one of the band’s 14 studio albums, from 1974’s Rocka Rolla (“Never Satisfied”) to 2008’s Nostradamus (“Prophecy”).

In the special case of British Steel, four songs are featured: “Rapid Fire,” “Metal Gods,” “Breaking The Law,” and perennial set closer, “Living After Midnight.” Others exempted from the one-song-quota are the LPs which appeared before and after British Steel. The first of these is 1979’s Hell Bent For Leather (UK title: Killing Machine) which lends the title song as well as “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown).” The other LP is 1982’s Screaming For Vengeance, source of “The Hellion,” “Electric Eye,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.”

“They have epitomized the genre with their Harley riding frontman, rapid-fire guitar assaults, and spectacular stage shows,” wrote journalist Bryan Reesman in his liner notes for 2004’s leather-bound, metal-spiked Metalogy box set. “Influential, innovative, and exuberant in expression,” he wrote, “they are the true Metal Gods who have been as unwavering in their desire to expand the boundaries of their music as they have been in crossing international borders to deliver it to their disciples.”

“Unabashedly committed to their cause, and unrepentant in proclaiming themselves a true heavy metal band even when others have shied away from the term, Judas Priest have forever been defenders of the faith.”

JUDAS PRIEST – That’s it at the top! That’s my Judas Priest Painkiller / The Sharpest Cuts cassette! It’s still sealed in its original plastic wrap too. This is a 9 song greatest hits. This title was released back in 1990, via Columbia.

I haven’t opened this cassette to play it for I already have all these songs on CD’s. This very cool Judas Priest cassette I discovered at a thrift store last Winter. I paid a whopping 50 cents (U.S.) for this cassette. 50 cents!

Here is what the back of this Judas Priest cassette looks like:

On the back cassette sleeve is the track listing. A bunch of type (so tiny I cannot read it) is on the right side. With that said, there is this red type in the center that reads: Demonstration Not For Sale. Whoa! I always love it when I stumble upon a vinyl album, CD or cassette that was distributed as a promotional copy only. Usually these “demonstration” copies are not that abundant in the open marketplace.

I’ve searched around the worldwide web, discovering that this particular Judas Priest promo cassette has been offered for sale. In other words, the few occurrences when I found this cassette, it was no longer available. Whoa! I’m leaning towards this promo cassette being kinda rare.

JUDAS PRIEST – Back in July of 1982, the eighth studio album, Screaming For Vengeance, from Judas Priest was released. This album was an instant Metal classic. Now, in 2012, this album is iconic. On September 4th, Screaming ForVengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition(CD/DVD) will be released via Legacy.

I remember this album being released in ’82 like it was yesterday! I just cannot believe it’s been 30 years though. Screaming For Vengeance is exhibit #1 of what timeless Heavy Metal sounds like. Multi- Platinum and incredibly influential to the world of Metal. I knew back in ’82 that this album was sensational; little did I know that I would look upon it now with such immeasurable Metal reverence. Metal be thy name.

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* The CD includes 6 bonus tracks, 4 of which are previously unreleased live tracks (Electric Eye, Riding On The Wind, Screaming For Vengeance and You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’), recorded live on September 10, 1982 in San Antonio, Texas on the Screaming For Vengeance Tour.

* Includes Judas Priest’s historic 1983 US Festival performance, available for the first time on DVD.

* Included are never before seen photos and new liner notes written by That Metal Show’s, Eddie Trunk.

Judas Priest, as they appeared on the original 1982 Screaming For Vengeance album:

Rob Halford – vocals

Glenn Tipton – guitar

K.K. Downing – guitar

Ian Hill – bass

Dave Holland – drums

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* Back on July 28th, 2009, I wrote about how much this Screaming For Vengeance album means to me. You can read all about it, by clicking that cool link below!